Half past nothing

Neoma lightly nudged Aella with her foot. “Hey. Wake up.” 781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xq2CLxSEf
Aella twitched and yawned. “Mm?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHS1DsH5Wi
"Come on. Or I will flip you into a pool of water." She nudged her again.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHulMTlN4n
Aella’s eyes flashed open. “I’m up!”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2WbZvajl9
"Except we have no water around," Luna pointed out.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVG2Tulas4
"…" Aella looked around. As Luna said, not so much as a puddle in their immediate area. "Oh."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJhga9rLto
Luna giggled. “You’ll learn when and when not to fall for her tricks.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCoFPzbGWW
Neoma shrugged, getting up on her horse. “Don’t eat too much, we need that food.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetyZ3lkld7
Aella laughed along with Luna, and slowly got up. Wow, she was sore…781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQn1ARAYjB
Luna paused in her laughter. “But….but I wanna go hunting,” she whined.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzuhHA7EN5
"Luna, what can you catch out here?"781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiv7sBIi6da
Aella looked at them curiously. She wasn’t quite sure what they were talking about… did Luna know how to hunt? Aella’s dad did, but her mom said it wasn’t ladylike. Luna was a lady though…781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkoFeGYqRo
"Um…."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDkABpAOmg
"Exactly." 781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdCF4fVQtD
Aella pulled herself up onto her horse. “Didn’t know you hunted.~”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bjOqDNCef
Luna grinned and nodded, flashing her pointed teeth. That made sense, didn’t it… She had only JUST held Luna as a fluffy cat, and cats hunted. Encouraged by this, Aella continued. “Is it fun?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6pzOcPx9m
"Yes!" She giggled, going into her cat form. Aella hummed happily, though she wished she could pet her friend again. Her fur was so SOFT!781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hlEHcnC4m
Neoma stared ahead, tilting her head to the side for a second. Aella didn’t bother questioning the gesture, and went ahead with her questioning.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNE66U6cnl
"How far do you think we’ll get today?~"781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfkVXMF6tr
The elemental shrugged, looking down at the shadowy horse.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC740N1Rq4n
She let it drop and started humming absently, gazing up at the sky.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkFcZoUUnB
"….What do you want to know?" Neoma finally asked, after about 20 minutes of silence.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDPDpi0YcE
"I wanna know a lot of stuff!" she said enthusiastically. Neoma was actually OFFERING to answer her questions? This was wonderful!781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24VXhL61mL
"Well, ask away."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIkKo8KWep
"Okay. Do you have any other powers besides the shadow horse thing? Does Luna, besides turning into the most adorable cat ever? What’s your favorite thing to do? Do you like traveling like this?"781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxFHuEAVwO
"Of course. Shadow is an elemental power. One of the strongest. Most people who have shadow powers are rather…creative, and work well with illusions." She blinked, then said a bit slower, "No, Luna is a familiar, do you know what that is? I like a lot of things, and no, I prefer shadows, but that’s a one person thing. My second favorite would be wolfback."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3rEQrDaGD
"Can I see some of your other powers sometime? And no, don’t know what a familiar is. Can you name one of the things you like?"781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLGPeR9pRF
"I guess. She assists with my fighting, magic, and so on. And no."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWZ9o7U3wc
Aella made a face at the last one. “Aw.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WfkjtQBAC
"What else?" Neoma finally looked over at her, and her face brightened further at this.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHigZw0Akn
She thought for a moment. “Have you ever just helped someone like this before? And how much do you know about shapeshifters like Cináed, anyway?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2neNTRswZb
She glanced over at Luna. “Yes. Not a lot.” 781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiAW4TnXNw
Aella tipped her head. “What DO you know?” she wondered. 781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSwDWeGdfA
"The name implies a lot. And I guess silver hurts them?"781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxGpaRrHTI
"And some other stuff," Aella said a bit absently. "I’m not sure which, exactly… I only know snatches of it from Cináed. I try not to, though, he scares me." She didn’t like when she caught pieces of his thoughts. They were always mean… were ALL shapeshifters like that? She hoped not.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysAyUBwm3N
Neoma nodded. “Anything else?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcr0z4e0Ab
Aella hesitated. “Why are we going to France?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUzVP8P22s
"So Luna and I can go home."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakV8COd2AI
"Is your home that way?"781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1Wmp3tIpx
"Hm…you can say that." Neoma frowned. "…Well. Have you heard of these things… they’re called dimension ties."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIltm6TuOPm
"… huh?" Her expression went completely blank, and her mind matched.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXe1JBE5nny
"That’s what we call them, I don’t know your word for it." She patted her horse for a second.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaL472YkUH
”What exactly are they?” she asked, utterly confused.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIVmtfG27A
”You don’t think this is the only plane of existence, do you?” The elemental raised an eyebrow, looking off to the side. A part of Aella did wonder why she didn’t like making eye contact… maybe she was shy, or worried, or sad. Oh well, she would be more cheerful eventually!~ Aella liked making people happy, a room full of happy people was always the best kind.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsCJfO549J
Oh, she was zoning out. Not that what Neoma was saying made much sense, but it was rude to stop listening!781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JXFwzDBLv
”…Earth. Do you think it’s the only place with life forms?!”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDrZ971PKg
”There’s more places besides Earth?” Now she was excited by the thought of places like that, ones she’d never heard of. “Is that why you wouldn’t tell me where you were from?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXaOXUXv4e
She nodded. “Yeah, part of it.” Luna looked up, tilting her head for a moment, then gave a purr, making Aella inwardly squeal.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjiAImfk8uR
"Will I ever get the chance to see it?"781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJj4h0KSzfm
"You might," She looked up, "if we ever GET THERE."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJcU07b1gL
”Yay!~”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlERBDPFAp
Neoma paused again, sitting sideways on her horse. “So besides shapeshifter and all that funstuff,” (she rolled her eyes at the word fun), “what was your life like?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0kW5cUrSN
”Mm?” Aella looked over at her. “Pretty normal, I guess. Middle-class family, lived in a pretty coastal town in England…”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jKsH1RFRP
“…. Middle class….” She tilted her head a little, like she had no idea what she was talking about. “You were poor, then?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25naZ0fYFo
Aella giggled. “No, we weren’t poor. We just didn’t have as much money as all the really rich people, like the royalty.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9w3DicXvYZ
“Oh.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdNRLRhz2J
”Mhm.” Aella smiled absently and returned to stroking her horse.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wm0DfOwwA
She let out a soft breath, still keeping her eyes on Luna. After awhile, she bit her lip and finally tore her eyes from the cat, only to let them fall to her lap. “Sorry.” It sounded a bit forced, not like something that normally came out of her mouth. 781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94dkJajsKM
”… huh?” Aella looked back over at her. What could she possibly be apologizing for? They were both being so nice to her…781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnnSeGY9A7
"I’m not good with people." She shrugged. "So, sorry."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4T32uUpsfu
“You don’t need to be sorry,” Aella said with a slight smile. Not good with people… well, that would have to be fixed, wouldn’t it?781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5muxlUjALL
She nodded, looking to the side again. “… Thanks.” Aella just grinned at her new friend.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqM9iEbzEG
After a while, Luna seemed to get a bit bored, and she started to dash off….only to have Neoma call her back. Aella giggled a little, and Luna tilted her head. Then she gave a slight cat-like growl when she was forced onto Neoma’s horse.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmfz0I89UR
”I’m boooored,” Aella drawled after a minute or so.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9Ha3YWz8t
Neoma looked up. “What do you want to do then?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvM3c4TIy41
She gave the question some serious thought. “Dunno. What’s there to do?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gPnRksVzj
”We are riding on horses. What IS THERE to do?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5Ib4VISH4
“…. Dunno?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsyPeSkQ7t
She grumbled a bit, then sighed. “I dont know, either.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFhY5cZIaj
”Aww.” Aella sighed. “So we’re gonna be bored until we get somewhere?” That sounded… boring.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0M1pSInuT
”I think so. Yeah.” Neoma glared at Luna, who was trying to hop off the horse.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQmx4P69Cn
Aella groaned and thunked her head dramatically on the horse’s neck (said horse just snorted). This could take FOREVER!781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8g2gWXxk5D
“Oh, calm down, its not that bad.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOQahfukRF
“… Fine.” She pouted.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxaGgG2C8i
Neoma looked off to the side, following along the road, while Aella started humming quietly to herself. Neoma watched the other, then looked away.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VLwMcxb7H
It wasn’t long before Aella was shifting restlessly again.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgFAnej1x8
"You’re bored again, aren’t you?" Neoman had shifted postions by then, laying with her arms around the horse’s neck.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvh3nzuSXQA
"Maaaybe."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HXDnv4S97
”It’s in your body language. You’re acting fidgety, so either you’re nervous or bored.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAckiZANts
“… Okay, bored.” Wow, Neoma was smart!781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWbFXwtArR
She rolled her eyes. “Well, you can continue to ask questions, I guess. It’s almost sunset, give it an hour or two.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywBfdJvaUP
“Okay~”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUf45Oa78M1
After a long drawn out silence, Neoma stated, “At least France and England aren’t at war?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbxzLJOfRx
”That wouldn’t be fun,” she agreed.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCCnD38O2w
"War isnt an easy thing, no matter your social status."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mwsOwaRo3
Aella shook her head with a slight frown. “Mom says it’s really awful.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUsOf7Aq1b
She looked ahead. “England and France go to war a lot, dont they?” She asked this quickly, glancing aside.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyDwRxxsid
She nodded. “Yeah… why?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY368WbTjK2
”Just making sure I was right.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nf5nVJOO9
“Oh.~ Well, you are!”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEI8TGQoMoI
Neoma looked at the girl. “We need to blend in with the locals, though.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdJxB9KbLe
She frowned. “Um… Okay. How exactly do we do that?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PR2LqD0sT
”Fashion.” Neoma had a hint of a smirk on her face, and tilted her head a bit. “Which is ALWAYS fun…”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2CmW5aO38
“I know!~”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNE46NqO5bp
”That was sarcasm, nuts for brains.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpT1uEaJbii
“… It was? But fashion IS fun,” Aella said matter-of-factly. How could Neoma think otherwise? That just didn’t make sense.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YZq0vmrDr
”Not Earth fashion.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFatq5gJLJ
“Uh-huh,” she said stubbornly. 781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4uJLS98fY
”I much prefer my world’s fashion. Less skirt-y.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2JM1Cg2vE
“Skirts are nice.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnkDyUtyvU
”Ugh, nope.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbL9snjHI6N
“Yep!~”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVLZwsxqKr
”No, pants and shorts are much more convenient and comfortable.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZkn9xHWkI
“But skirts and dresses are prettier.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvU8qXBmbWG
”And?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRsNnFSL5q
“And what?” Aella blinked. 781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51eKhykItU
”What use is looking pretty if you can’t do anything while you do?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KOfeNpb0n
“Who says you have to do anything that might ruin your clothes while you look pretty?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmImoFx8sq
”Because nothing fun comes out of it!”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yck6Db3NW
“It’s fun to be pretty!”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZksfosCqL
”I’d rather not.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlovo1LL4G5
“That’s too bad, then. I like looking pretty.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItxpo5q4Ya
"And I really don’t care."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqa1V0rks2A
Aella pouted, and Neoma gave a sly grin.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXf3r9n6vz
“… Won’t you have to wear a dress to blend in, though?” The girl suddenly questioned.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYwAW3i6mo
”Shit.” She groaned, hitting her head on the horse’s neck.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfofCeISHcm
Aella laughed. “Shut up.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZi6JiHYFIZ
“Sorry…”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EplahJWJK
She gave some sort of odd hand signal, not raising her head.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNFQsrp0Rl
Aella was still grinning a bit. “I do think you’ll look pretty in a dress, though.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3D8sLDyUVy
”I don’t… like dresses….”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3XPPvuIsN
“It’ll be alright… they’re not THAT bad.~”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1IwEzntQe
”This is coming from Miss Happy-Cheery.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7IZTTUFbA
Aella just grinned wider.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgV0XQ8vVdT
”Not a compliment.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81rtJ4SVC9
“Sounds like one to me.~”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxN6cDjfywb
”Well, it isn’t.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzq32pZ3Ejn
“Why not? Isn’t being happy and cheerful a good thing?” How confusing.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8Zmehd8li
”To you, maybe.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ULNCLtyvc
“Why not to you?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGgLVnHlq8
”I get annoyed easily.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWz6wQtcRaL
“… Oh. You should work on that.” How could you be happy if you got annoyed so easily? Maybe THAT was why Neoma seemed so grumpy…781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrR0zCOsxMc
”…” Neoma finally raised her head, glaring at her.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi6dIVKxy0
Aella went silent for a moment. Oops. “Sorry.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44N0EIdRpn
”No, no…”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqKb2NNdyR
She gave her a confused look, and Neoma made that hand gesture again. Aella blinked, then looked away to her horse.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVnVfC0aV6
* * * * *781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RI1VtOwVS
Neoma poked a small fire with stick, staying near its heat. “Okay, so do you like fish, by any chance?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoW9ffznDaz
Aella nodded, brightening considerably. “I like pretty much all seafood.~”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHfvmllEgb
“The next town is a seaside town…” She poked it again, her hand moving over to the fruit.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXPcMwemsH
”Oh, yay!~” Towns on the coast were her favorite! Like her home.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIKKbXJ2jj
Neoma looked at the girl again. “How old are you?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hB85g5158
”Fifteen, why?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoDTK6bTN9
“Hmm.” She gazed into the fire, then looked to the side. “In your years, I’m 19.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzxHrE2SGc
”My years?” Aella tipped her head curiously. Were her years special or something? Maybe they were longer. Or really short. Or…781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jm0L6QtLY
“Human.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnzz99k6Qi
Oh. “What kind of years do you use? And how old are you in those?”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zLz5U0qqM
“For my species, years are nothing. I’m much older in that time.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CF9lYWx0Z
”Wow…” Neoma didn’t look old, but it sounded like she was ancient!781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpWcVOuHBA
She nodded slowly.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdAIq9utam
”What about Luna?” Aella wondered.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIwLmKcY6X
“Luna is sixteen.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfX98nSH3Qj
”Oh.~” Almost the same age as herself!781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkzitp1vyR
She nodded again, sliding over the basket. Aella poked around inside it and pulled out a tasty-looking fruit.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DLG5ZG9lD
When Aella looked back to Neoma, she was playing with shadows, making little figures out of the darkness. She watched her interestedly as the elemental’s hand rose up, dragging a shadow with it. After a pause, she changed the shape into a sphere, then pushed it into the fire. To Aella’s surprise, it began to burn.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDkR4coGxU
”Shadows can burn?” Aella piped up curiously.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rdvYfdg4D
“When they turn into something physical, yes.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgV3scS4VtN
”… huh.” Whatever that meant.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjdNO8vYDb
“You see…” She lifted another shadow, starting to form it into something. “The ability to change an object’s property normally needs to melt, heat up, or freeze. But if you can change something that doesn’t even exist in a different property, then…” She started to make a point on it. “It becomes part of the element, MADE out of the element.” She threw the object into the other’s lap, a small black dagger the height of the her hand.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Lm4brsEm0
“You can’t melt it, you can’t freeze it. It’s forced to stay THAT element until changed by someone who can control the element itself.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2kYauV6qT
”… um, okay,” Aella said uncertainly. She supposed it at least made sense to Neoma, and that was important… The dagger resting in her hands was simple, dull and not decorated. After a few moments, it misted out of her hand, startling her, and dripped off it into the shadows. Then it was back into Neoma’s hand.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80pX6sZ3jZ
"Woah…" The blonde stared as it got a shadowy look again, and Neoma used her fingernail to start carving something into it. 781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvmqI4wgrU
"It’s made of shadows, it can’t be anything but. Therefore you need to solidfy, liquefy, or make it into a gas like a shadow, or just leave it a shadow."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqLNbCFUFN
”… Uh huh..?” Aella’s head was spinning by then, absolutely confused. She really DID try to pay attention, but…781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8PAj2hKhv
Neoma glanced up at the other with a soft sigh. “Okay, the idiot version. Now imagine that I threw this into the fire.” She held up the knife. “It will heat up, yes, but at which point would it melt? It wouldn’t.” She made the shadow become solid in her hands. “But say that I had…” She dipped her hand into a shadow, cupping them and pulling it up. “A liquid shadow. It won’t freeze and become solid. It also won’t become a gas. It’s going to stay a liquid.” She let it fall back into the shadows, picking up the knife again.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGzm3Is3LQ
”But… why?” she asked, trying to sort all of this information out.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCsXBt8OPJ
“It’s only a shadow, Aella.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKZNJe2i9A
”Okay..”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1eMsfVodO
“But when you’re really powerful, you can practically turn them into a weapon. Now, it won’t work against some things, but against elements that are the opposite of mine…” A ton of pin-like shadows rose around Neoma, disappearing a bit in the dark and showing in the light of the fire. “… or humans, ‘cause no offense, but your kind are easy to hurt…” She let the pins drop. “It becomes a weapon.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPc1v9mxf7H
”Oh.” That, at least, seemed to make a little more sense…781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUnHyith3P
Neoma grabbed the knife, holding it up. “Your shifter friend, it probably won’t hurt like this. It won’t hurt me, either, seeing as I did make it.” She pressed the tip of the blade to her palm and pushed down, but instead of stabbing through, it only flattened into her hand, spreading out in a circle.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdyuxP7Yrs
”Wow… that’s really neat.” Aella’s eyes were wide.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazE7qvSwlu
She moved next to the girl, grabbing her arm and pressing the blade to it. It wasn’t enough to draw blood, but enough to prove a point. “For you, any harder would break skin, but for me, not even a chance.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2x6VJpqxx9
”Wow… that must be neat.” Aella felt a little stinging sensation where the sharp edge met skin, but there wasn’t a drop of blood.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wP4MQqyqV
Neoma nodded. “I can also…” She dropped the knife, holding both her hands up and raising a thin sheet of shadow in an almost misty effect. “Try punching through it.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCGh5tNBmi
"Just… punch it?" Aella tipped her head.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxkrQy8IEQ
“Not too hard, just proving a point here.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNrEESw7WX
”A-Alright.” Aella aimed a light punch at it (okay, a REALLY light punch). It seemed to solidify as she hit it. “Oh, wow.” She pulled back her fist, watching as it returned to a a misty look when there was no longer pressure against it. “That’s really cool.”781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSW8NMuZjY
"Now, let’s say someone with a light ability or weapon attacked it? It would break through. On the other hand, if I attacked a light shield with my shadow, I’d break that."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WKaDRrnPK
"Huh."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvdRSYli1c
She nodded. “Fire might crack it.” She pushed down the shield, looking at the shadow ball still sitting in the fire.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQueWBvpmP
Aella blinked. “Huh,” she repeated.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjaLj9QFIr
"Now, if you got your hands on a light weapon, you could break it too. A fire one would probably burn your hand, though…"781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSp1qk0tcfz
"That’s really interesting.~" Aella hummed, gazing into the fire and the black pit in its center.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfalqCuNcM
Neoma nodded, looking at the sky. “The stars here are weird,” she stated unexpectedly.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhC6inudWpz
"Weird how?" Aella looked at her, blinking.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BHJKHVdB4
"Not in the same places." She shook her head.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0xFtcMkpY
"So it’s different in your world, huh… I’d like to see how they look there."781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEo084NIPll
She nodded, closing her eyes. It didn’t seem likely that she would answer any more questions, and was clearly done with her explanation… Aella sighed and let her eyes flicker shut as she realized just how tired she was.781Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkKV86xp46

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